Pilots prevent cell phone tower at Big Bear City Airport

Thanks to local pilots, a cell phone tower won't be going up at Big Bear City Airport in Southern California. The Big Bear Lake Planning Commission voted 4 to 1 this week against the proposed tower location after a group of pilots voiced opposition at the public meeting. AOPA's Airport Support Network volunteer, Ken Dally, also spoke out against the tower.

"Local pilots are what count," said John Collins, AOPA senior liaison of airports. "The majority of AOPA's success at protecting airports has been because local pilots got involved."

AOPA also had sent a letter to the city, explaining that locating the tower less than a mile from the airport and only 1,460 feet from the departure end of Runway 26 would pose a significant hazard for pilots.

In that location, the tower would have posed a risk to aircraft departing the runway to the west; made it difficult for pilots to comply with noise abatement procedures on high-density-altitude days; negatively affected pilots in emergency situations who need to make an off-airport landing in that area; and possibly prevented a new instrument approach for Runway 8.